Barnes & Noble giving away free e-readers

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NEW YORK — Barnes & Noble is giving away a free Nook Simple Touch e-reader, which retails for $79, to any customer who buys its high-definition Nook HD+ tablet between March 24 and March 31.

The offer is available at all Barnes & Noble stores, Barnes & Noble College Bookstores and online. It also is being offered through other retailers that sell Nook products, including Walmart.com, Target and Best Buy.

“By offering a free Nook Simple Touch with the purchase of Nook HD+, customers can fully experience all that the expansive NOOK Store™ of more than 3 million titles has to offer,” said Jamie Iannone, president digital products at Nook Media LLC. “Nook HD+, with its must-see full HD 9-inch screen, is perfect for experiencing movies, apps, magazines and more, while NOOK Simple Touch is ideal for reading millions of books with crisp, clear text on a portable and lightweight device that’s comfortable to hold for hours.”

Launched in 2011, the Simple Touch e-reader has been struggling to find an audience as consumers shift toward use of tablets, according to industry analysts.